At 6-foot-4, Israel Adesanya is built like a hallucination—like a long shadow come to life off the wall. He is an angular uprush of energy and power, made up of sharp angles and eye tricks. He can snipe people from great distances and kick a tea saucer off a forehead in one rapid movement. His fight IQ might be the highest in mixed martial arts, as he anticipates (and counters) tendencies better than any other fighter going. In other words, he’s a natural for the cage.
And if you didn’t know any better, you’d swear that everything that’s happened to Izzy in the three years he’s dominated the UFC has been carefully premeditated. It started in his first fight with Rob Wilkinson in Perth, Australia, in early 2018, when Adesanya lifted a leg and (symbolically) marked his territory all over the UFC’s Octagon before and after the fight.
What the hell was he doing? He was getting in front of the temptation at the time, that’s what. Having already been an outspoken kickboxing champion before his MMA career, people wanted to compare him to fighters like Anderson Silva or Conor McGregor, UFC superstars who could properly orient the senses to the kind of transcendent talent he was. Adesanya wasn’t having it. Everything he was could be found within the 80-inch wingspan that stretched between the first Izzy Adesanya and the “Last Stylebender.”
Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av Inked.
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Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av Inked.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Leaving Her Mark
Shina Novalinga discusses her entry into throat singing, going viral on TikTok and getting her face tattooed
A Phoenix Rising
Salice Rose turned to social media when she was at her lowest. In doing so, she found her true calling
A Flower Growing In Concrete
Creating art has helped Jose López navigate through the darkest periods of his life
Carolesdaughter
As tattooed people, we seldom consider how our body art will impact the people around us. But, it only takes a stranger seeing one tattoo, one time, to change their entire worldview.
Hit the Jackpot
Rapper Latto on breaking into hip-hop, representing Atlanta and making her next big move.
Tess Holliday – Bombshell
Model and body positivity activist Tess Holliday channels her inner Pamela Anderson for this sexy shoot.
Bhad Bhabie
Bhad Bhabie took her 15 minutes of viral fame and turned it into a viable career. The rapper dishes on her only fans and upcoming new music.
Building a Work of Art
To celebrate the release of the 2022 Indian Chief the legend-ary motorcycle company got together two of the world’s most sought after builders, Paul Cox and Keino Sasaki, to customize a bike for celebrated tattoo artist Nikko Hurtado.
Adam Weitsman
Social media forever altered our perception, in ways both large and small. Not only has it changed the way we look at other people, it changed the way we present ourselves to the world. With every post he makes on Instagram, Adam Weitsman is fully aware of the latter.
Problem – All The Answers
Problem has the perseverance and drive to make his dreams come true. We spoke with the rapper about his latest mixtape, entrepreneurship and how his tattoos remind him of what’s important in life.
